Apparatus for treating gas electrically.



G.L.-GERRARD. APPARATUS FOR TREATING GAS ELECTRIGALLY, APPLICATION FILEDHALL 1907. I 9 3,145, Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

a mezzo/1" Germ CLARENCE L. GERRABD,

or COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING GAS ELECTBICALLY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

Application filed March 4, 1907. Serial No. 360,399.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, CLARENCE L. GER- HARD, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Columbus, in the county of Platte and State ofNebraska, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in.Apparatus for Treating Gas following is a full, clear, concise, andexact description.

My invention relates to apparatus for treating gas or gaseous compoundselectrically, and its object is to provide means by which the gas isthoroughly and efficiently subjected to the action of an electricdischarge or discharges.

My invention consists which an electric discharge the gas or gaseousmedium which is operated upon.

More specifically my invention contemplates a structure in whichpositive and negative electric terminals are adapted to of apparatus byis moved through to be be held in suchrelation to each other as toproduce, and maintain an are or sparkling discharge, and while so heldare moved through the medium to be subjected to the electric discharge.By such arrangement, approximately the whole of the gaseous body isbrought into immediate proximity to the electric discharge. Moreover, bycontinuously moving the terminals, the discharge acts upon any.1.)arti'cular portion of the gaseous body only so long as is necessaryand desirable to synthetically combine the gas or gaseous mixture, hencethere is no waste of electrical ener y.

A further feature 0 my invention consists in the provision of means bywhich a gas or aseous mixture maybe compressed at the time it is beingbrought into intimate contact with the electric discharge. While myinvention is'obviously applicable to the treatment of gases or gaseouscompounds in general, it is'cspecially well adapted to thesyntheticalproduction of the oxi s of nitrogen from atmospheric air.

Referring to the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvedapparatus.

and Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section thereof. Like. parts aredesignated by similar characters of reference throughout both figures. v

The air or other gaseous body to be sub hjjected to treatment passesfrom the usual :filower or fan through a pipe 1 into a cham-Electrically, of which the serve to insulate it electrically.

her 2, which has an outlet 8 through which the gases are carried offafter "treatment. As is well known, it is in some cases (lesirable thatthe gas under treatment as, for example, atmospheric air, which is to beconverted into the oxide of nitrogen, be under compression while beingsubjected to the electric discharge. For that reason, I prefer to makethe outlet 3 smaller than the inlet pipe 1, so that the gases in thechamber 2 are placed under more or less pressure. The walls of thechamber 2 may be made of some material which will resist the chemicalaction of the compounds formed. I preferably construct said walls out ofglazed porcelain, moldedlavaor' similar acid resisting material.

In carryingout my invention, I mount terminals 4 and 5 in pairs in suchmanner that they may all be moved and thereby carry the electric arethrough the gaseous 'body inclosed within the chamber 2. The

are is thus brought in such relation with the gas under treatment thatfor a given expenditure of electrical energy, a comparatively largequantity of gas is brought nto contact with the electric discharge. Forconvenience of illustration, I have shown only a single pair ofterminals, it. being understood, of course, that such pairs may beduplicated, if desirable. and ('OHHWi'Hl in circuit. in any usualmanner.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, a shaft 6 is shown as extendingthrough the chamber 2 and journaled .in the side walls thereof. Saidshaft may have a covering 7 of acid resisting material which may alsoSaid shaft may be provided with metallic collars ti, 8,- on which aremounted the terminals 11.. 5, respectively, said cell r and terminalsrcvolving with the shaft. \l'hilc [have shown said terminals so arrangedthat the my; formed between them extends in a dircctloi'i parallel tothe length of the shaft (3, I wi h. it understood that I do not limitmyself it. any particular relative arrangement. of the direction of saiddischarge with relation in the shaft which forms its center ofrevolution. (."oinluctors 9, 9 connected to a soiinre of current aresecured to metallic ollars 1-H. 10 which contact with ilncolh rs zl, Srespectively. Said collars it". 10 are secured about the openings in thewalls-of the chamber 2 through which the shaft (3 extends lot llO

and form journals for said shaft. Sleeves 11, 11 of conducting materialmay be placed around the shaft 6 to further electrically connect thecollars 8, 10. The shaft 6 may be driven in any suitable manner.

It is obvious that the relative o'sition of the terminals 4, 5 to eachother, e manner in which they are mounted to have motion through thespace within the chamber, and the method in which they are connected incircuit may be modified without departing from my invention.

- I claim t 1. In an apparatus for producing gas reactions, a chamberfor inclosing the gas or gases, said chamber having an outlet and aninlet, said outlet being smaller than said inlet, a rotary shaftprojecting into said chamber, and positive and negative termidischargewithin sai 2. In apparatus for producing gas reactions, a chamber forinclosing the gas or gases, said chamber having an inlet and an outletthrough which the gas passes continuously into and out of said chamber,a rotary shaft projectinginto said chamber, and positive and negativeelectric terminals mounted upon said shaft and arranged to rotatetherewith to reduce a rotating are d chamber. v

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th day of Feb.A. D., 1907.

CLARENCE L. GERRARD.

Witnesses:

V. H. WEAVER, EILERT MoHLMANN,

